Personal Heroine
by Dusty Paws
Summary: When Slade returns he wants to clear all his debts starting with revenge. Specifically on the girl who killed him. So when Robin sends Raven to protect Terra will she be enough to keep them both safe?
1. Two Sides Of The Same Girl

I'm baaaaack and I haven't written Teen Titans in ages so forgive me if I'm a little rusty :D Anyway I don't own any of them I just like to make them do my bidding :)

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The Teen Titans were scattered around their living room. Cyborg and Robin were each desperately trying to defeat the other on their video game of the week, Starfire was cooking something purple in a huge metal pot and Raven was floating at the table attempting to teach Beastboy how to play chess. "Ha! Dude! Check!" The changeling leapt to his feet and began a victory dance. Raven sighed and shook her head as a black tendril of power moved her friend's white bishop back again.  
"Beastboy." She murmured causing the dance to cease. "That piece can only move in diagonals remember?"  
"Oh yeah…" The boy sat back down with a sheepish grin and made a valid move, which brought an answering smile to the empath's lips. The tendril of power encased the black queen and knocked the bishop from the board.

"_That_ is check." A cry of dismay rang from the other side of the room in their leader's voice. Every other Titan turned to look and saw that the huge screen now showed an all too familiar mask.  
"Good afternoon Titans." Slade's velvet voice broke the shocked silence.

"What do you want?" Robin jumped to his feet and a chuckle escaped the man's mask.

"I believe I am still in our dear Raven's debt after our venture with her father. I want to clear that debt." The masked teenager fell back into silence at his nemesis' words. "As you know Terra is alive and well if a little…forgetful." Beastboy bristled. "I am clearing _all_ of my debts in the coming weeks Titans. It would be wise of you to watch your backs." The villain's face blinked from the screen and back to the red and blue cars of the game Robin and Cyborg had been playing that were now smoking heaps of metal.

"What was that supposed to mean?" Beastboy cried knocking the chessboard from the table. In a similar fit of rage Robin threw the controller in his hand into the wall. "Why would he just bring Terra up like that!?" The changeling continued throwing himself into the chair.

"Maybe he just wanted to mess with us B." Cyborg shrugged flicking the screen off with a tap on his forearm. Starfire floated over to the centre of the room, where the Titans were slowly drifting to form a circle.

"Friends perhaps Slade was warning us." She half-whispered afraid of the words she spoke.

"Of course he's warning us. He's just being cryptic about it." Robin snapped clenching his fists but missing the Tamaranian's flinch.

"He's going to kill Terra." Raven's monotone seemed louder than it was as the other Titans turned to her. Her power was slowly picking up the chess game and rearranging the pieces from memory so she and Beastboy could carry on their game.

"No! He can't!" The green teen yelled. "I won't let him!"

"How exactly do you plan to stop him Beastboy? He _can _kill Terra we all know it and we also know how many times he's beaten us. How do you plan to stop him?" Beastboy shifted to stand in front of Raven, invading her personal space. She easily returned the glare he was giving her.

"Beastboy relax man. We'll handle this." Cyborg placed a robotic hand on his beast friend's shoulder but the changeling shook it off.

"You want him to kill her don't you? That's why he said he was returning a favour to you isn't it?" Growled and Raven forced herself not to cringe.

"No I don't want her did. I've never-"  
"You always hated her Raven just admit it!"  
"-wanted her dead. I didn't trust her but I _never_ hated her." She disappeared into her power for a second and reappeared beside Robin. "Besides she doesn't remember us let alone trust us. How are we supposed to protect her while we hunt Slade down?" Her leader blinked, looking from the seething Beastboy to Raven.

"Someone needs to keep an eye on Terra and make sure Slade doesn't make a move. It's the only way." He mused quietly, just loud enough for his team to hear.

"I'll do it." Beastboy replied making a move for the door.

"Beastboy you can't. You've already made yourself known to her and you stand out too much. I'm sorry. Raven has to do it." The entire team exchanged stunned looks.

"Why me?" The empath murmured, eyes concerned.

"Yeah! Why her!?" Beastboy added, his voice raised and fists clenched. "Why not Star or Cy. He got into the H.I.V.E or you could go, but not _Raven_." Raven melted into the floor silently.

"Starfire doesn't understand the system well enough. Cyborg I need here and I need be here too. Like it or not Raven is the best person for this. She won't let Terra get hurt." Robin sighed running a hand across his face, he knew Slade's prolonged silence hadn't been a good thing.

//

Hours later, early in the morning, Raven wandered back into the main room to see Robin at the computer with Beastboy leaning over his shoulder. "Cyborg gave me this last night." She murmured to catch their attention. It was a small silver ring with a dark blue stone set into it. Seeing the boys looking at her she slid it onto her middle finger. Instantly her hair darkened to black, her eyes faded to a dark blue and her grey skin changed to pale white, chakra stone disappearing.

"It suits you." Robin whispered with an apologetic smile. He finally noticed that instead of her uniform the empath now wore a white shirt and black tie with the dark blue skirt, long white socks and black shoes of Jump City High School. He handed her some papers. "Rachel Roth right?" Raven, now Rachel, nodded.

"I'm going to leave now, avoid a scene when Star wakes up." She offered a weak smile and turned to leave.

"Rae, hold up." Beastboy bounded over to the empath. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I was out of line."  
"You were worried and angry. I forgive you." Her now blue eyes caught sight of the chessboard behind him and saw that he had made a move since the day before. Her smile broadened and she extended her power to move her single remaining knight. "Checkmate."

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Thanks for reading :)


	2. Meeting The Sentenced

And chapter two of my return to Titan fanfiction writing for my friends to read. Thank you for your reviews and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

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"Welcome to Jump City High." An overly cheerful girl smiled broadly at Rachel from her desk at the front of the classroom. She vaguely remembered that her name was Bobbie, a name that had brought an answering smile to Rachel's pale lips, especially seeing the small bear hanging from the other girl's bag when they'd met in the corridor nearly an hour ago.

"Thanks." The other occupants of the classroom fell silent when they saw her stood by the door shifting the bag on her shoulder as she scanned the room for a familiar blonde head. She couldn't find her.

A loud feminine yell from outside caught her attention. Instantly Terra's image leapt to mind and she slipped back out into the corridor without a second thought. "Leave him alone!" Terra's voice echoed through the empty hallway and Rachel ran towards it, hoping with every fibre of her being that Slade hadn't already gotten into the school. When she found the blonde girl she was berating a teenage boy that easily outsized her and there was a smaller, redheaded boy on the floor, a bruise blossoming across his jaw. She felt a rush of pride towards her charge. "He didn't do anything to you." Terra hadn't noticed her approach yet and neither had the taller boy.

"He exists that's reason enough. Figures that you'd be a freak lover." He let out a cruel laugh. "Hey, if you ever want a _real_ man, call me." The dark-haired boy leered down at her but Terra brushed it off with a sneer of her own.

"He's more a man than you'll ever be Graham." Graham finally saw Rachel, who now stood beside the blonde, and spat at Terra's feet.

"This isn't over." He promised as he strode away. Terra ignored Rachel and knelt at the other boy's side.

"Hey Tom, you ok?" The boy smiled weakly and pushed himself to his feet with the girl's help.  
"I been better T." He murmured in an accent that Rachel couldn't quite place. "But I heal quick. Who's your friend?" Terra looked at Rachel finally, almost as if she hadn't noticed her standing there, and then looked back at Tom.  
"Never seen her before. You going to be ok?" The boy flashed the blonde a devilish grin.

"Course I will. Get to class 'fore Clark has your hide." Terra shrugged and jogged to the classroom that Rachel had just left, Rachel herself trailing behind her.

Inside the classroom a bulky man wearing a dark suit was marking names off the register. "Markov?"

"Yeah Sir." Terra answered breezing through the door and towards her seat at the back of the class. 'Sir' glared at her for a few seconds before noticing that Rachel had also entered the room.

"Ah there you are. Don't let Markov lead you astray." Rachel could only assume that this man was the 'Clark' that Tom had referred to. "Class this is our new transfer from Gotham. Rachel Roth this is your advanced mathematics class." Bobbie offered her a cheery wave as she silently cursed Robin's choice of classes for her. She hated math with a burning passion. "Take a seat next to Markov and we'll begin." Rachel obliged and the teacher turned to the blackboard, chalking several complicated equations onto it.

"Thanks for what you did back there." Terra murmured. Rachel started; she hadn't expected the girl to talk to her, it had been tough to earn the blonde's trust and friendship when they first met and she'd expected no different now. Apparently she'd been wrong.

"I didn't do anything." She blinked at the light blue eyes staring back at her, forcing back memories of the young geomancer she knew. The blonde smiled.

"You were there and you didn't run. Graham won't try anything with an audience, so thanks." Rachel returned the smile, grateful that by defeating her father she had better control of her powers and better use of her emotions.

"You're welcome. I'm Rachel." She held out a pale hand with was quickly enclosed in a lightly tanned one.

"Tara." Rachel started slightly before reminding herself that the girl before her wasn't the geomancer called Terra she was a normal schoolgirl by the name of Tara Markov. She silently promised herself not to confuse the two sides of the girl.

"You ok?" There was real concern in the blonde's eyes Rachel noted and for a brief second she was happy Terr-_Tara_ couldn't remember all she had been through at Slade's hands.

"I'm fine, you just remind me of an old friend." The vague reply seemed to sate the other girl's curiosity so she decided to ask a question of her own. "Why did Graham attack Tom?" Tara's eyes flashed and hardened at the mention of the dark haired boy.

"Graham's a bully and he knows Tom won't fight back. He could but he doesn't want to hurt him." The reply threw Rachel back into confusion but she dropped the subject sensing that Tara was uncomfortable with it.

"Markov stop corrupting Roth and pay attention!" Mr Clark's gruff yell cut the conversation in half and they fell into silence for the rest of the two-hour period.

//

"I hate math." Rachel nodded her agreement with Tara as they took seats in the cafeteria. "Whoever came up with it was one sick monkey."

"Monkey?" She questioned her lost old and newfound friend with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yeah why should puppies get all the bad press?" Rachel couldn't restrain the giggle that fell from her lips but she fought it anyway, half-knowing that there was a green fly in the room.

"Hey T." Tom slipped into a free chair beside the blonde and Rachel was fixed by his glittering, endless black eyes. The pupil was invisible next to the iris and she lost all sense of reality looking into them.

"Tommy do you have to Charm everyone?" Tara sighed rolling her eyes skyward "I know you worry but not everyone is a mutant hater." Rachel finally broke free of the boy's eyes and in the same instant realised why Graham had called the boy a 'freak'.  
"She legit." Tom shrugged casually but Rachel felt a thin wave of confusion mingled with suspicion roll from his aura. He knew who she was; she could feel it in his emotions.  
"Whatever Tommy. I'm going for food, anyone want to come with?" Both she and Tom shook their heads in unison and Tara wandered off to the counter dark blue eyes fixed on her back.

"You not Rachel. Are you?" She shook her head; no. "You Raven, Teen Titan." She nodded this time; yes. There was no point in lying to him, those black eyes could see into her black soul. "Why'd you lie?"  
"I'm here to protect Tara from a criminal." He shook his head at her.  
"Terra." Her breathing skipped. "Protect _Terra_ from _Slade_." She was impressed, he was obviously self-trained and his raw power ran unchecked but he was good. "You legit." He smiled warmly holding out a hand. "Welcome to Freak table."


	3. Hell Is Beginning To Leak Through

Thank you for all of your brilliant reviews I'm glad to know that people are actually enjoying this :)

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"I can't believe Mauvais! It's your first day and she sets you an assignment on Hamlet, that's ridiculous!" Tara ranted to Rachel as they left their literature class. Rachel smiled and shrugged knowing that she'd be able to do the assignment easily thanks to her love of the subject. "I mean it's just not fair." A barely audible buzz caught Rachel's attention and she frowned.

"I think I left something in there, I'll catch you up." She muttered stopping in the now empty corridor. "Beastboy." The buzzing ceased at the single, hissed word and then there was a green boy stood in front of her. "What are you playing at?"  
"Dude relax, I just wanted to see how things were working out." The hero backed away from the now glaring girl. "But I'll be getting back to the tower now…you know…wait for your report?" Rachel rolled her eyes as Beastboy shifted into a small bird and took off out of a nearby window. She sighed before striding out of the main door in search of Tara.

"Hey there you are." The blonde smiled slightly before looking across the city. "What do you think?" Rachel followed her line of sight to Titan Tower and more specifically the plume of purple-black smoke rising from it. She felt her heart sink. "Looks like the Titans could be in trouble huh?"

"Yeah." Rachel breathed wishing she could be there to help her friends, it really could only be Slade attacking them and she couldn't do anything. A smaller, orange explosion rocked the tower sending more smoke into the air, followed by a blue beam of light, or as Rachel knew it, sound.

A group of boys cheered nearby when a green pterodactyl became visible in the sky above. Rachel looked away, fists clenched, as it fell to the water below.  
"T. Should go home. Now." Tom had arrived at Tara's side and was attempting to lead her away from the school. Rachel shot him a grateful smile.

"Yeah. Hey Rach you should come with, I'm sure I've got that assignment Mauvais set you at home somewhere."

"Sure I need to go home first though, tell my mom." Tara nodded handing her a slip of paper with an address and a phone number scribbled on it next to her name.  
"See you." Then the blonde left with Tom, running down the street, laughing. Rachel suddenly hoped that there was no way restore the girl's memory; she seemed much happier as she was. She watched them until they were out of sight then slipped into the shadows before melting into them completely and reappearing in the house that Robin had somehow bought, communicator in hand.

"Robin." She called into the device, pacing the darkened room. "Come on answer." The screen flickered to life, showing her leader's smudged, smoke-blackened but still masked face. "What's going on?"  
"Slade. He caught us off guard, robots around the perimeter and he's in here somewhere." Determination and rage coloured Robin's voice. "Where's Terra?"  
"She's at home. I'm coming to help you." She pulled the holo-ring from her finger and resumed her usual appearance.

"No. Go to Terra just in case we fail here. I need you to stay with her. Leave your communicator for now; I don't want Slade to trace you with it. Leave your tracer too. Just in case." Raven bit back the dozen arguments she wanted to give and snapped the communicator closed before tossing it onto the bed in the centre of the room.

"Be safe."

She passed her amethyst eyes around the room, it was neat, almost obsessively ordered which spoke truly of its owner and downstairs she had seen a heavily bolted door, which she assumed, contained her leaders work. The work he didn't like his teammates to see and the more illegal work he kept hold of.

Raven turned her back on the room again and slid the small silver ring back onto her finger becoming Rachel once again. Her power spread across her body, making her one with the shadows as she headed for Tara's home address.

//

"Hey man, did you get hold of Rae?" Cyborg called over the small explosions in their living room to Robin. The Titans leader shook his head a worried frown creasing his forehead.  
"She wouldn't pick up." A piece of concrete blew through the doorway and both boys flinched away from it on instinct. "She's supposed to have her communicator with her _at all times_."  
"Friends. Raven will be joining us soon, yes?" Starfire floated down the stairs of the portion of the tower they had managed to secure.

"No Star. She won't."

"Well Titans. Looks like it's just you three and me." Slade's velvet voice spoke from the shadows of the room they were regrouping in. A screech cut him off as he stepped into the flickering firelight and a green tiger slashed at his body leaving a gash in the man's chest and blood on his suit. "Funny." The villain muttered. "I thought I already put the cat out." Beastboy growled as a savage kick was aimed at his head and Robin took the opportunity to launch a birdarang at the man. Slade punched the tiger away from him and back flipped to avoid the projectile.

"What do you want?" Robin spoke through gritted teeth as Cyborg and Starfire flanked him, each aiming at Slade.

"To clear a debt." Robin lunged forwards, finally landing an uppercut on the man's jaw and took hold of his nemesis' throat.

"What debt?" He growled. Slade chuckled.

"Do you remember Robin, when Terra was working with me? After leaving you we sent minions to begin our work, and then Terra to finish it?" Realisation slammed into Robin's brain in the same instant that Slade's fist slammed into his chest.

"Raven." The word came broken from his lips as he tried to regain his breath.

"Ah ah Robin, she's undercover. _Rachel_." The two-colour mask taunted him as his teammates rushed the man behind it but the villain easily deflected their attacks and turned them back, knocking each Titan to the floor beside their leader. "Now if you don't mind I'm going to be late for my double date." The smirk on the man's face was audible as he dropped a smoke bomb and effectively disappeared.

Robin flipped open his communicator and tried again to call Raven, the device crackled and sparked before finally fizzling out completely. A small 'S' dropped from the back of the communicator, hitting the ground with a quiet 'ping'. Robin swore as the mutilated screen showed him that he had had a call from Raven herself, and that it had been intercepted.

"Spread out. We need to find Raven." He stood abruptly and made for the exit.

"What about Terra?" Beastboy spoke up, nursing a swollen and bruising eye. "He's after her too."  
"Raven is our first priority." Beastboy growled softly at his leader, locking his emerald eyes with the older boy's mask.

"_Ours_ or _yours_?" He spat, teeth bared.

"Friend you must calm down." Starfire pleaded with the green boy and was ignored.

"Just because Terra was Slade's apprentice you won't help her" It's not fair; we helped _you_! Why not her?" Robin's fist clenched at his sides. "Raven actually went _evil_ and you're all protective of her all the time! Why?!" Robin's fist flew forwards almost of its own accord and smashed into the green boy's jaw.

"They are both my friends Beastboy." He muttered in a distant voice as Cyborg restrained the changeling and Starfire placed a hand on Robin's shoulder. "But Raven is a member of this team and therefore is our priority. Also she should be with Terra anyway." Beastboy watched his leader leave with a rueful glint in his eyes.

"'M sorry." He grunted through the blossoming bruise across his face.

"You always are B."

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Yeah, I'm not one for keeping events quiet and safe for long and who doesn't love a good bit of in-team fighting to make teamwork interesting?


	4. First Shots Of The War

I am so sorry it took me so long to update but an essay for my English Lit class somehow found its way to my desk and held me to ransom. It's ok though it let me go and I'm here now so enjoy.

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"Hey Rach." Tara opened the yellow door to the two-bedroom house with a smile and waved Rachel inside. "Tom's just through there." Rachel followed the hallway to where the other girl had pointed to see the boy lounging on the sofa in the living room, flicking through the channels on Tara's TV.

"Hi." Rachel murmured taking a seat on the floor, leaning back against the wall. Tom shifted his legs to make room for her but she shook her head with a smile.

"Your friends ok?" The redhead asked quietly knowing Tara could join them any minute but they could hear her moving upstairs so Rachel answered at her normal volume;

"I hope so. They told me to stay here when I could have helped them. If they lose it'll be my fault." Tom placed a comforting hand on her head.

"They be fine. They Titans." Tara chose that moment to wander into the room, a huge folder cradled in her arms.

"What was that about the Titans?" Tom flicked the channel again, this time onto the news. The camera showed the smoking remains of Titans Tower and a news reporter standing nearby it.

"There is, as yet, no sign of the Teen Titans." Rachel's breath caught in her throat as a small explosion sent flames to the sky and part of the tower crumbled away completely, sending the news crew diving for cover. Tom turned the television off and Rachel sent him a grateful smile.

"So…Hamlet right?" Tara sat beside Rachel and began sifting through the folder of neatly written essays mumbling to herself as she went. "Macbeth…Birdsong…Pride and Prejudice…" Halfway through the folder a knock at the door cut her off. "Tom could you get that?" The boy left the room silently. Rachel heard the door open and was assaulted with a wave of white-hot fear.

"Good evening. Is Tara in?" Rachel didn't have to be there to recognise the velvet voice of Slade. She swore aloud.

"Tara?" The blonde looked up from the papers as Rachel took them from her hands. The dark haired girl was eerily calm as she helped her stand.

"RUN!" Tom's voice screamed from the hallway, causing Tara to start in fright.

"Out the back door. Go to the old fairground ok? Go." The quiet urgency in Rachel's voice made Tara race for the back door. The sound of Tom's body flying into the living room door covered the sound of the back door slamming. Rachel slid the ring off of her finger and Tom crashed through the door.  
"Hello there Raven." The empath nodded curtly to acknowledge Slade and let her eyes glow ghostly white while her form crackled with dark magic.

"Where did she go Raven?" Slade's single eye roved around the room before focusing on Tara's rucksack. The villain paced into the room slowly as Tom began to stir. "Tell me and I will let you and the boy live." Raven tossed the coffee table at him. "I will take that as a no." The villain pulled a gun from his belt making Raven's breath catch in her throat. "You see my dear our friend Terra killed me. I am perfectly within my rights to return the favour. Think of it as the death penalty." Raven heard the smirk in his voice and let her power extend to wrap around his leg and snatch it out from underneath him. Slade pulled the trigger as he dropped to the floor the Titans' power caught most of the bullets and let them drop to the floor but one tore through her cloak and bit into her arm. She hissed in pain clapped a hand to the wound while he stood. "Tell me."

"No. She's not yours anymore." She spoke through gritted teeth unwilling to focus her power on healing herself while Slade was still in the room.  
"She's not one of you either." He countered the gun not wavering from its position as it was pointed directly at her heart. "And why do you of all the Titans care?"  
"She was my friend." A surprised noise escaped Slade's throat and Raven used the opportunity to send a slice of power towards him. He twisted out of its path but it left a deep scratch across his two-tone mask.

"It must have hurt when she betrayed you." Raven's eyes flickered red for a split second.

"It hurt Beastboy more." She muttered anger now colouring her voice. Slade chuckled and the gun switched targets, moving towards her head.  
"The longer I talk the further our dear Tara gets away from here but of course that's your plan isn't it?" Raven tensed realising her plan had been caught. "Now I do so hate to shoot and run but you know how it is."

//

Beastboy dropped from the sky, switching from bird to human and landing easily on a nearby roof to answer his bleeping communicator. "There's been a report of shots fired on Sunrise Avenue. It could be nothing but we need to check it out. Raven and Terra could be in trouble." Beastboy's heart skipped and he suddenly forgot about the pain his face was in.

"I'm on it." He didn't give his leader chance to reply, swiftly changing into an eagle and wheeling through the sky the images of Terra and Raven fixed firmly in his mind. He wouldn't let Slade get either of them. Not again.

//

On the other side of the city Robin snapped his communicator shut with a sigh. "Be careful Beastboy."


	5. Divided The Heroes Fall

Thank you for all of your awesome reviews but for now on with the show :)

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Raven threw out her injured arm with a barely contained yell to erect a shield in front of Tom. The single bullet that had been speeding towards the boy left a crack in the dark magic before falling to the ground harmlessly, a bee that had lost its sting. She knew that Slade knew she wouldn't be able to put up another shield to protect herself and the crimson blood oozing from her arm held testament to her waning strength. She focused her eyes on Slade's singular one and watched as the gun switched targets and his trigger finger twitched.

Outside an eagle screeched once before crashing through the window and wheeling into the path of the bullet that had been meant for Raven. "Beastboy!" She screamed as the bird dropped to the floor and her eyes faded to black, scarlet inscriptions running across the length of her body as a rage filled snarl settled in her throat. Slade's eye shot wide when the heroine launched herself at him, knocking him through the wall with what seemed to be very little effort.

Tom stirred, opening his eyes to see Raven cradling a green bird in her hands and Slade unmoving in the hall. "Beastboy." She murmured, hands glowing pale blue. A bullet dropped out of the bird's chest to lie with the rest and the bird turned into the familiar green boy they both knew.

"Rae?" He whispered, emerald eyes unfocused. "Where's Terra?"

"I sent her to the fairground." Beastboy tried to stand but Raven pushed him back into a lying position. "You need to stay, you've been shot and I didn't have enough power to heal us both properly." He looked down and seemed surprised to see the tear in his uniform and the angry red mark that marred his skin.

"I need to help Terra." He argued weakly unable to push Raven's arms from his shoulders.

"You _need_ to lie still." He rolled his eyes and, satisfied that he would do as he was told, Raven got to her feet letting out a wince when the movement jolted the only partially healed wound in her arm. "Tom could you stay with him?" She murmured noting out of the corner of her still amethyst eye that Slade had somehow gotten away.

"Sure, where are you going?" Raven didn't answer as her power flickered around her body and she disappeared. Beastboy's belt flashed red and his communicator rang.  
"Hey Rob." The fallen hero groaned answering the device without sitting up.

"Beastboy what happened?" His leader's voice was a cross between concern for the green boy and anger at his own helplessness.  
"Slade was here. Got shot." Robin didn't have to ask who was shot, it could never have been Slade.  
"Raven and Terra?" He dreaded asking but Beastboy cracked a wry smile.

"Terra's at the fairground. Rae's gone." He snapped the communicator closed and exchanged a glance with Tom as the front door was pushed open again.

//

Robin launched his communicator at the wall with a yell before dropping to sit on the floor at Cyborg's feet. "I've lost contact with Beastboy." He muttered dread settling in his chest; he should've made the changeling wait for backup. He should've gone with him.  
"Call him again." The half robot replied offering the mutilated but somehow still working device back to his leader. Robin ignored the gesture.

"You think I haven't tried that already? He was _shot_ Cyborg. Raven's missing and Terra's at the old fairground." Starfire's eyes glowed green and she began to float off of the floor.  
"Then we do what we can do. Go to friend Terra." Cyborg let himself be scooped into the alien girl's arms and held out a hand to Robin.

"It's all we can do man come on." The masked boy shook his hand before taking the offered hand. Starfire lifted both boys into the air easily and they left the rooftop they had met on after the reports of shots fired.

The trio of Titans landed in the abandoned fairground mere minutes later, at the foot of the Ferris wheel and immediately scanned for any sign of their old friend. Regaining his old mentality Robin handed out orders. "Starfire fly overhead, look for either Raven, Terra or Slade. Cyborg, take the stalls. I've got the hall of mirrors. Stay in contact at _all_ times." His companions nodded seriously.

"Good luck friends." Starfire took of silently as the boys walked in opposite directions.

//

The stalls reminded Cyborg forcibly of a ghost town. He kicked a dirty old baseball out of the path, imagining Slade's mask imprinted on it. He hated the man more thank was reasonable for what he had done to his friends, to his family. It infuriated him most that the villain seemed to enjoy his work most when it became focused on the girls. A flicker of movement caught his cybernetic eye but he could see nothing that had caused it so he kept moving. Soon he found himself in the centre of a circle of stalls all facing him proclaiming that there were prizes for all. He allowed himself a hollow chuckle before reporting to his leader. "I got nothing Rob." He muttered before movement again caught his eye. Cyborg swore, lowering his arm. He was surrounded.

//

Starfire circled overhead, weaving through clouds and the taller fairground rides. She half hoped that she would be the one to find her friends safe and sound. The other half hoped she would find Slade and with him an outlet for the righteous fury that clouded her thoughts and flooded her veins. But even from her high vantage point she could see neither. "I also have nothing friends." She drifted to the ground but when a flash of yellow caught her eye from atop the Ferris wheel she shot towards it. Only to be shot back down again.

//

Robin wandered the mirror-lined corridors with a heavy heart. He had failed Terra once. Anger surged through his body at the thought. He would not fail her again. His pace quickened until it was a brisk jog with his many reflections chasing him. He found himself then in a room of shattered mirrors, claw marks gouged into the walls where the glass should have resided. "Beastboy." He murmured to himself.

"I knew him once." A girl replied.

"Terra?" He whirled around to see the ex-heroine knelt in the middle of the room, her fingers toying with a piece of glass.

"That's what he called me too. And Slade." Robin's hand flew to his belt, his gloved fingers playing along the Bo staff held there.

"We're going to keep you safe Terra." He held out his free hand but the blonde knocked it away, her blue eyes angry.

"My name isn't Terra! It's _Tara_!" One shadow separated itself from the rest.  
"Now now _Terra_ we wouldn't want to release that earth shaking temper of yours now would we?" A velvet voice whispered as a gloved hand caressed the girl's face.

"Slade."

"Good evening Robin."

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I feel slightly guilty for splitting them up like that...only slightly though...


	6. Flying In The Earth

At the amazing suggestion of cowgirlte the Xmen make an appearence here :) so on with the show...

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Tom crouched beside the prone hero, unsure of what to do as the front door to the Markov residence fell from its hinges. "Kid you in there?" A gruff voice shouted through the house. "Tom?" The redheaded boy's face split into a grin.

"In here!" A muscular man strode into the room. His dark hair was stuck in two uniformed spikes and grey blue eyes searched the room until they landed on the two boys.

"What the hell kid? I thought you wanted a more normal life?" Tom's smile widened and a laugh fell from his lips. "Who's the green bean?"

"Logan. Glad t' see you." Beastboy pushed himself into a sitting position, pain flashing across his face.

"Beastboy." He muttered through a grimace. "You're Wolverine?" The X-man nodded curtly with a quirked eyebrow while the Titan fought to stand. Only to fall again.

"Raven say stay still." Tom chided, pushing the green boy's shoulders back to stop the next attempt. "Rogue with you?" Logan nodded again frowning.

"She wouldn't let me leave again without her. 'Specially seein' as I was coming to see you."

"Hey Charm." A southern voice called from the living room door. All three males turned quickly to see a brunette with startling green eyes and a white streak through her hair, leaning on the doorframe, watching them. "How've you been sugah?"

"Good. Thanks. Remy?" Beastboy shook his head at the group of mutants and banged his head off of the floor as he worried about his friends.

//

Slade threw an unmoving Starfire to the floor, bound in chains and gagged with a dirty cloth. Next he kicked Cyborg into the light, quickly followed by his heavy battery pack that had been callously torn from the half-robot's body. Tara let out a whimper and Robin growled. "What do you want from me?" Tears ran down the girl's face as the two-tone mask looked down on her.

"Your life." Slade's silken voice caressed the words and it didn't sound as bad as it should, that he wanted to kill her. "But first; to return you to who you were." Robin lunged for the villain then but received a roundhouse kick to the chest, throwing him into what remained of the mirrors.  
"TARA!" A scream rang through the room and Rachel ran in, barely casting Robin a glance before dropping to her knees beside Tara. "Are you ok?" Robin smiled to himself; he had more of a chance of defeating Slade with Raven in the room.

"Yeah I guess but you need to get out of here Rachel-"  
"-Raven." Slade cut across the blonde and Rachel cringed. "Terra. Do you wish to have your memories returned to you?" The blonde was still staring at Rachel.

"What?" Silently Rachel pulled the holo-ring from her finger and returned to her usual appearance. "You lied to me."  
"I'm sorry." Tara backed away from her, towards Slade.  
"How does that make you any better than him?"  
"I wasn't trying to kill you Tara." Slade produced an opaque sphere of glass. "No." Raven's eyes shot wide as she caught sight of the device. "You'll get us all killed." Slade ran a finger down Tara's cheek, almost lovingly.

"She will remember. And she will die alongside two of her fiercest protectors." Tara looked away from the heroes and closed her eyes.

"NO!" Robin yelled dived again for the villain, snatching the hand away from Tara while Raven's power seized the orb from Slade's other hand. The empath herself held out a hand towards the brawling duo attempting to get a clear shot through to Slade. Tara placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I want to remember." The blonde murmured softly. So softly that even the half-demon had trouble hearing her. "Please."  
"No Tara. There are some memories no one deserves to have festering in their minds." She fired a bolt of power but it struck the concrete just to the side of Robin's arm, firing shards of the stone into her leader's face. Raven cursed. Her attention lapsed for a split second as Robin flew away from Slade, back into the broken mirrors, and fell to the floor. A piece of glass protruding from his back like a grotesque fin. The lapse of concentration was all it took for Tara to take the orb from Raven's dark magic and smash it at their feet.  
Slade's laughter filled the room while Tara's eyes glowed yellow and she screamed at the force of the memories returning to her brain, and her powers reawakening. The ground shook, rocks began to fly and the blonde girl was consumed by a whirling storm of dust and rock.

* * *

Wow...I've gotten really callous with these characters haven't I?


	7. Stretcher Borne Into The Sunset

Okies here we go...on with the Titan beating.

* * *

Beastboy dropped to the ground inside the old fairground, falling to his knees when the transformation from pterodactyl to human jarred his wound. Rogue dropped Wolverine at his side, next to Tom who the Titan had found out was an X-man. The redheaded boy was the brother of one Remy Le-Beau also known as Gambit and could charm people with nothing but eye contact. "You ok kid?" Wolverine's gruff voice drew Beastboy back to the present. He forced himself back to his feet and finally saw the three silent ambulances parked outside the hall of mirrors.

"No." The whisper fell from his lips and he broke into a half run towards the vehicles and the nearest paramedic. "Are they ok?" He recognised the man as Mack. He'd helped the Titans many times when they're missions had left them hospitalised.

"Beastboy." The reluctant tone in his voice gave him away. Beastboy knew Mack didn't want to tell him his friend's lives were in danger. He never did.

Four stretchers were carried from the building and with Tom's help Beastboy pushed past Mack and darted towards them.

The first held Starfire. Blood streaked the alien's face from minor cuts, and bruises had only just begun to blacken her skin. The gentle rise and fall of her chest reassured the green boy that she would be ok, given time.

The second was Cyborg. His circuits were grey and his red eye was off. The human eye closed. There was a crater in the half-robots chest where his battery pack had been torn away. Beastboy breathed a sigh of relief; there was another battery at the hospital for emergencies and Cyborg would be up and about mere minutes after it had been installed in his body.

The third carried Robin. Face down and cape-less with a bloodstained chunk of mirror protruding from his back. A chill ran down the changeling's spine when he saw the blood oozing from the wound staining his leader's shirt a deeper red than before. The masked boy was lucky it seemed that the glass had not pierced his heart or lungs. As with the others, minor cuts and bruises marred all visible skin.

The fourth stretcher's occupant was covered with a sheet. Beastboy's heart leapt to his throat. He waved at the stretcher-bearers to stop. With solemn faces they obliged. He pulled at a corner of the sheet, not daring to look lest his fears be realised. A rough hand snatched at the fabric and drew it back. "You can look. It's neither one of your girls." Even with Logan's assurance it was hard to open his eyes. Before him lay a man with white hair and only one eye. He didn't need to see the remnants of a two-tone mask to know it was Slade. He let out a half-crazed laugh; it was over. Slade was dead and it was all over.

"We got two more over here!" Mack's cry drew Beastboy's attention. He snapped his head around to stare at the entrance to the hall of mirrors. The amusement that he now hated beyond all reason. The second he saw familiar blonde hair mixing with purple in the wind, he started a blind sprint towards it. Raven and Terra were alive. It was all his brain could process. They were holding each other up as they stumbled from the building, each with one arm wrapped around the other's shoulders. Raven delivered the other girl into Mack's arms but brushed a female paramedic away when she tried to help the empath.  
"Raven are you ok?" Now that Terra was in safe hands and surrounded by Tom, Wolverine and Rogue, he decided to focus on the other girl. She nodded wearily, pulling the ruined school tie from her neck and tossing it to the side.

"Broken ribs. Whiplash." She put a hand to her face, rubbing an amethyst eye and hissed in pain. "Fractured cheek bone. Ow." She caught Beastboy's worried glance across her bloodstained form. "Yeah. I'm ok."

"What happened Rae? Everyone else is down and Slade's-"  
"Slade found a way to make Tara remember." Beastboy couldn't help but notice the empath call the blonde by her given name. "Her powers went haywire. She's exhausted and scared but she'll be ok." The changeling remembered the last time Terra's powers were beyond her control and couldn't resist the question that tugged at his mind.  
"How did you get her to stop? Her powers I mean." Raven gave a rueful smile.

"I took a leaf out of your book. I teleported in and calmed her down."  
"I was wrong the other day. I didn't think you'd be able to save her. I'm sorry." She pulled him in a hug, drawing a wince from both of them as they pulled a wound.

"It's ok. Now let's get to the hospital before the others wake up. We've got good news." The green boy half-released her and half-carried her to the one remaining ambulance that held Slade's unmoving body.

"We do?"  
"Two pieces actually. Terra's back and Slade's gone. For good."

"It's over."

* * *

Now I need to write an epilogue. The one and only question in my mind however is; will it be a happy ending with all Titans alive and intact or not? I think you guys should decide :)


End file.
